A Summer of Storms
by Mazzu
Summary: A collection of Xelfi stories (some connected, some free standing) inspired by Beloved Enemy's 100 Nights of Summer prompts.
1. Palliation at Best

It was probably too hot for tea; Filia however, was stubborn enough to keep drinking it in relish all the while insisting it made her feel cooler in this weather. Jillas unfortunately had become especially bothered by her habit nowadays and took to complaining that it made him hotter just seeing the steaming cup in her hands. She of course, had no concept for how hot the summer sun must be for a beastman covered ears to toes in such a plush fur coat and clothes, but he couldn't really be serious about asking her to stop, right?

Just in case, she took her dinner and her teapot onto the terrace in an out-of-sight, out-of-mind compromise. It was a rare occasion for Jillas to complain about anything to the people he considered his higher-ups after all.

She looked out in the distance to appreciate the view from her back yard. There wasn't anything spectacular to see, but the few trees that dotted the arid landscape gave her a simple sense of peace. They grew humble little flowers in the spring, and in the summer with their fully-formed leaves, made a rustling sound that mimicked the sound of a brook. It calmed her down so much, she forgot about the heat.

Saying a prayer, she placed a napkin on her lap and picked up her tea cup. No matter how much time she'd spent with Lina Inverse, meal time was still a sacred little repose for her. Filia took an indulgent sip and sighed tranquilly.

"Why, if it isn't Filia-san! What a pleasure it is to see you!" There was no way; it couldn't be…she'd only thought of him for split-second. Did she really have to be punished for letting him slip into her thoughts?

Her posture stiffened reflexively at that cloying tenor voice. Fingers closed tightly around delicate porcelain china, her eyes fixating on the sloshing unsteady tea in the cup in refusal to search for the source of her displeasure. She didn't have to see his face to know he meant trouble showing up all the way out here.

The inauspiciously hopeful thought ran through her mind that perhaps she was hearing things. After all, she'd read that even the sanest of people who have undergone traumatic events are sometimes left to deal with lingering phantoms. Filia continued staring at her tea, slowly loosening her grip on the cup after a minute of silence. Perhaps she was still a little stressed out to imagine such a silly thing. Why would he come all the way out here anyway?

He chose that moment to cough, tactlessly expectant for her reply. Xellos would have entertained the possibility of her having gone deaf in their brief time apart had she not reacted so astringently to his greeting.

Ghosts typically did not resign themselves to such concerns as clearing their throats to her knowledge. It was, unfortunately, not some unbidden specter from her haunted psyche as she would have preferred. Maybe if she pretended she didn't hear him, she'd be left to eat her dinner, and, more importantly, drink her tea in peace. Admittedly unlikely, but Filia felt compelled to take that gamble.

She sat still as a rabbit that had just made eye contact with a potential predator. Amazingly, after a tense pause, it seemed to be working. Cicada song lilted through the air unchallenged by anything less pleasant. Without picking up her head, she stole a peek in the direction his voice had come from.

A tumbleweed drifted by otherwise empty space. "Gone…"

First a breath she'd unintentionally been holding let itself go. Then, realizing her potential mistake, she gulped. Would he really be dissuaded that easily? With his sick sense of humor, he'd likely make a game out of teaching her to look while she had the privilege of knowing his location. Her tail thrashed out from under her skirt and the hair on the back of her neck rose in alarm. Filia twisted herself in every direction to keep him from coming up behind her.

He watched in amusement from above her. Had he been getting predictable? The thought of sneaking up on her and pulling her tail had come to mind, but for once, he was glad she beat him to the punch. It was much more fun to watch her make an idiot of herself. Xellos' neatly gloved hand firmly pressed itself to his lips to keep his laughter from slipping out and giving away his position too soon.

After letting the panicked display go on only slightly longer than appropriate, he tossed the orb from his staff at her feet. Filia scrambled desperately to avoid it, and just as he'd hoped, it was not the gem that made her trip, but her over-zealous efforts to avoid the oncoming object. His laughter helplessly erupted completely unrestricted at seeing her on her ass, her face aflame with rage, and her eyes feeding him with their look of wonderfully childish betrayal.

He looked at her with the affection of a painter slowly falling in love with his own masterpiece. From the claret red scorching her cheeks, the agitated lines lifting her nose into a disgusted snarl, the dust stealing the sheen from her hair tips, she was a truly a work of art.

"XELLOS!" She shouted at him before even picking herself off the ground.

"Hello there, it has been entirely too long!" He waved insincerely and opened one of his eyes to look down on her and offered her an extended hand. "What are you doing getting that pretty dress all dirty? Would you like me to help you up?" His jocose tone made her want to scream already. She slapped away his hand and sprung to her feet in embarrassment. Xellos tsked at her behavior in a condescending "oh you" manner, but didn't drop his smirk for a second.

"What are you doing here?!" she stammered.

"Now, now, didn't they teach you etiquette at that temple of yours? When a guest arrives you should at least greet them properly. I came a long way you know, a, 'How are you? Have some tea,' doesn't seem like that much to ask for, does it?" he asked. Filia wondered if there was any possible way he could've been imitating her grade school teacher. The grating similarity of their all-knowing tone was uncanny.

"You didn't come for tea," she answered cautiously.

"Oh? You know why I'm here?" he asked congenially. His closed smiling eyes shook her for reasons she couldn't peg down.

"Don't beat around the bush. What are your orders?" As inconspicuously as she could manage, Filia moved slowly in front of the door to block his entrance.

Xellos laughed mirthlessly. "Please believe me; Juuou-sama has better tasks for me than to visit paranoid dragons. No, I came here on my own time," he explained.

She bared her teeth at him. "Somehow that's not comforting at all." Her eyes held all the fury of a mother bear protecting her cubs.

He was genuinely surprised at her reaction. Filia's spine (which, in perfect honesty, he had to admit already put every other member of her race to shame) had built itself up in their time apart. Switching itself from smug to softly inquisitive, his voice shifted with his posture. "You didn't miss me, even a little bit? After depending on me as much as you did, I thought it would please you to get a visit."

Her sweat-slicked palms clenched at the suggestion. "How could I depend on you? Every time you could've been useful, you decided to be lazy instead."

"I'd get in trouble if my superiors caught me needlessly assisting mortals. You should really consider yourself more fortunate for all the help you _did_ get. Any other golden dragon would be thankful just to walk away from me with their lives after all," he parried.

Filia crossed her arms and huffed. "So what are you saying; that I should be as afraid of you as you are of your superiors?" It probably wasn't the most prudent thing she ever said, but then again, very few of their conversations ended up being especially full of wisdom or maturity.

Audacious thing as she was, Xellos felt her sincerity. How nauseating. "Afraid? No, I'm talking about making smarter decisions. You have your place and I have mine." He stepped closer to her, not exactly inside her personal space bubble, but just threatening to cross that threshold. The vexing mix of his innocent appearance and his dangerous potential drawing nearer electrified her skin. "It can't be helped." It was said so simply, but his seriousness implied that if she pushed him, she would also be beyond help.

Filia swallowed hard, but stood her ground. "You can think for yourself; you don't have to follow orders if you disagree with them."

Lips smacked in indignant amusement at her suggestion. There was a brief hesitation, his simper melted into a dangerous smirk and he licked the lips she'd been eyeing so suspiciously. "Do you know what I think?" he asked her in a tone of whimsical mischievousness.

She shook her head furiously; Filia wanted nothing to do with whatever was on his mind—not if his expression was any indication.

Taking in her anxiety and silence, Xellos nostrils flared and his smile broadened. He leaned on his staff, lazily letting his upper body drift a little closer to her. "I think you're afraid," he continued pleasantly. "Because part of you is happy to see me, but at the same time you're wondering, what might I do if left to my own devices instead of being my usual on-the-job professional self?"

Pride kicked her into fighting mode. "WHY ON EARTH WOULD I BE HAPPY TO SEE YOU? I don't think you even _have_ your own devices; you're just a lackey!"

His eye twitched. "Oya, oya, do you really think you have any right to be telling _me_ such a thing? You spent your life up till this point occupying a lower station of a hierarchy than I ever have," he reminded her in a strained attempt at a casual tone.

"At least when I didn't want to listen anymore I put my foot down. You just kept saying 'What can I do? I was just doing what I was told.' to every objectionable thing you did. You're so full of excuses I'm surprised they aren't bulging out of you!" She jabbed him in the stomach with her finger to drive home her point.

Doubling over in pain, Xellos hissed as his body flickered in and out of the astral plane like a hologram. Shakily grabbing her hand and trying to regain his bearings, Xellos squeezed her fingers. Noticing the sudden distress he was in, she gave him a mildly horrified look. "Now, now Filia-san—it isn't polite to point," he choked out.

"What happened to you?" There was genuine concern in her voice, but they both ignored it. While he had looked just the same as he always did just a moment ago, it became apparent to her that he was injured. Someone had done a number on him; she prayed that he had gotten the last blow in whatever scuffle he'd meandered away from. The last thing Filia ever wanted to worry about was a force that could bring Xellos down.

His grip softened at her defiantly affected stare. This kind of exchange wasn't what he came for. "Nothing that I couldn't handle," he assured her.

Her eyes darted to the hand he was still holding and she tried to pull away. It wasn't a threat anymore, but he was still stubbornly keeping her in his grasp. "I can't heal you," she reminded him somewhat sadly. Any white magic directed at him would surely kill him at this point.

Xellos picked his head up to meet her gaze. His open stare froze her in place. It was the only time she'd ever seen both his eyes open without malice. "I can heal myself," he replied.

"…Then why did you come here?" she asked. The atmosphere between them became charged by the question. She wasn't entirely sure she wanted to know his reason. With Xellos, an honest answer was rarely a good one, but she couldn't find the logic in his coming to her—especially in his current state.

With only another flicker of his form as warning, he collapsed. Filia caught him on reflex and he hung limply in her arms. There was a pause as she felt his weight. Slowly, she started to feel the gravity of the situation. One of the most powerful beings on the planet showed up near death on her door-step for no known reason and was now barely hanging on for survival in her arms.

"Xellos?" He didn't respond, so she repeated his name several times, trying to shake him out of his stupor. Looking around for anything or anyone to help, she found nothing. Gulping, she adjusted his body so she could carry him. Last time she'd had to help him stand, he at least walked with her. She felt mortified to be the only thing supporting him now.

Cautiously, she snuck back in her house, doing her best to be quiet so as not to attract attention from Gravos or Jillas. It could be troublesome if they saw him; or at the least, that was what Filia told herself as she slipped as stealthily as possible into her bedroom with Xellos.

She placed him on the bed with a groan. His face was twisted in pain, but his lack of breathing made it difficult to discern his health. As far as she was aware, mazoku faded into nothingness when they died, but she had been told a number of things about them that Xellos had disproved to her and she no could longer be certain.

Looking down to his still frame, Filia wondered how he ever could've hidden an injury this severe from her for so long. The more time that went past, the more wounded he appeared. A quarter of his body had already vanished and was steadily oozing out of his torso in a black fog.

Why was he trying to hide it from her? What possible purpose could he have had to come here in the first place? Pushing past her unrelenting questions, she rushed to the bookshelf. After taking Valgaav's egg, Filia had decided to pursue all the information she could find on ancient dragons _and_ mazoku—just in case.

As she busied herself trying to find a text that could possible offer any help, Xellos regained consciousness. Sensing her presence, he zeroed in on the bookshelf. Her desperation was almost mouthwatering. Closing his eyes for a moment to savor it, he let a silent sigh escape. It happened as he predicted—she rushed to his assistance as soon as she knew he needed it; just like last time.

In all his life, Filia was the only creature to willingly help him knowing full well what he was. She was some kind of exquisite oddity that transcended the laws of her own people, what should have been her instinctual fear and hatred of him, and somehow stood tall when the question that shook him had been asked. Why are the gods and monsters always fighting?

When Filia turned around, she noticed his open eyes staring right at her. "You're okay?" A particularly tattered green cloth volume was in her hand. Neither of them had much faith in its power to help him, but she figured it could at least offer ideas.

He eyed the tome skeptically. "What were you planning to do with that?" he asked, slightly worried.

She pursed her lips and glared at him. "Don't act like I was going to hit you with it!"

"Hmm…perhaps you weren't," he mused as he took in his surroundings. "You brought me to your bedroom?" Suddenly looking pleasantly surprised he continued, "Oh dear, Filia-san is that one of those marital aid books?"

An irate flush spread across her face. "Namagomi!" She threw the book down on the bed dangerously close to his head. "Why do I even bother trying to help you?"

Xellos looked up at her seriously. "You know I wonder that too."

Still blushing, she looked away. "Well unlike you, I can't just abandon someone who obviously needs help-even if that someone is a no-good, filthy monster. I'm just generous like that."

Xellos rolled onto his side and made a show of putting a hand on what was left of his hip. He looked far more confident than anyone missing part of their body had any right to. "For whose benefit are you saying that for; mine or yours?"

Snapping back to face him she retorted, "Do you honestly think if I were doing something for my own benefit that I would let you on my bed?"

Xellos considered it as he moved his hand off his hip to play with the sheets. "You've proven yourself full of surprises before."

Filia puffed up her cheeks in annoyance and held it until her stomach growled. He was daring her to argue her way into extremely embarrassing territory when she was still starving. "If you're feeling good enough to make jokes at my expense, I guess I can at least go finish my dinner without worrying too much."

He tried to sit up and make himself look slightly more presentable. "You're worried for me?" There was a brief pause, but before she could reply he pushed on. "Well, it wouldn't do to let you gasp and sigh over your food somewhere for my sake. Bring it in here," he suggested.

Her eyebrows knitted tightly together. "Don't flatter yourself! Besides, shouldn't you _like_ it if I'm worried?"

He smiled jovially. "Oh, I've quite had my fill of that. I think I'd rather have some tea now—if you're still feeling _generous_ that is."

"You don't even need it," she argued.

"Hmm and here I was thinking perhaps you weren't just a selfish dragon after all."

"Humph!" She should've known she would regret claiming to be so charitable around him. After making a quick pros and cons list in her head, Filia decided to play along. At the very least, he wouldn't be able to get into trouble if she sat there with him. "Don't touch anything or snoop around. I'll be right back."

"Oh? Is there something in here you don't want me to see?" he asked with all the cherubic curiosity in the world.

"Just stay put!" she warned, deciding it best to dodge the question. Without giving him any time to reply, Filia stomped out of the room.

He couldn't help but grin. With all her aggressive, embarrassed, anxious energy she supplied him with, Xellos was starting to feel better already. Never mind the damage sustained; with her emotional havoc, he'd probably never go weak or hungry. Besides, her company was certainly fun if nothing else.

But of course it wasn't "nothing else".

It could never be _just_ a fun hobby to rile her up. There was always something else when it came to Filia—something impossibly troublesome. Xellos' smile maliciously dropped.

Over the course of their journey, he'd come to the conclusion that he didn't feel any real animosity towards her. And no matter what she said, she'd proven that she didn't either. So without the constant antipathy that should've existed between them as a dragon and a monster, where did that leave them?

That was the irksome question that drew him to her when his survival was put into question. Xellos had to investigate. He had to search and prod until he found a reason to hate her. It would drive him mad to die without knowing why she affected him or how to stop it.

It had nothing to do with the fact that he wanted to see her. Her angry azure eyes, flame red cheeks, and obnoxiously golden hair were of little consequence. Once his health improved and he could resolve the issue of her invading his mind, he'd never waste his time around here again.

Unless perhaps the tea was good enough to persuade him to keep coming back.

And judging from her gratified expression while drinking it earlier…it was a possibility.

* * *

Thank you for reading to the end! I hope you've enjoyed it! This was my first attempt at Beloved Enemy's 100 Nights of Summer prompts. As you can probably guess if you're familiar with it, this was under the theme of excuses. I've got a few more of these in the works right now and any thoughts on this work, things you'd like to see in future ones, or constructive criticism would be a treat.


	2. A Lot Left to Learn

Filia's expression soured as she took a spoonful of soup. Having been sitting uncovered for so long, it cooled considerably.

Xellos watched from the bed with mild interest as she forced herself to take another taste. "Is your cooking really that bad?"

She rewarded him with a completely unimpressed look. "My cooking is fine! It just got cold."

"Somehow I doubt that's the only reason you're so disappointed with it. It's sweltering outside, shouldn't cold food be refreshing?" he asked.

Maybe it should have been, but it wasn't what she wanted. "I don't expect you to understand…You're probably too busy running around doing reports on morning glories for a decrepit old dark lord stuck in the ice somewhere to pick up on the subtleties of life."

The edges of his lips twisted into a scowl. No regard at all. No esteem either. "And what makes you think your _subtleties_ are so interesting?" Granted it was the nuances of her character giving him a bed to rest in and riddled his mind more often than he'd like to admit, but this was a matter of pride. "It's not as if you understand anything about me anyway."

"You make yourself hard to understand on purpose!" she argued.

"If you had any sort of survival instinct at all, you'd try to work around that," he retorted with satisfaction.

Filia narrowed her eyes. "Forgive me if I'm not as intimidated of you as you think I should be." She lifted her index finger and continued, "Seeing as this is all it took for me to leave you bedridden."

Had his eyes been open, he would've rolled them. "That's a low blow Filia-san."

A mischievous smile played on her lips. "Don't worry; I'll be more careful next time. I swear I forget my own strength sometimes."

He paused. "Speaking of which, couldn't you just use your flame breath to heat up your food?"

A hush filled the room. There was a part of Filia's brain that considered the idea with extreme seriousness, but it soon caught on that the suggestion was probably a bad joke. She laughed dryly. "Why doesn't it surprise me that your first piece of advice is to set it on fire?"

It didn't go over his head that she took a bit too long to react. He regretted not trying harder to sound sincere. "I'm just trying to remind you of your special talents."

"Don't pretend you're doing me any favors."

"Well you spend so much time living like a human, I worry sometimes you think you are one," he countered.

Unconsciously, her lips pouted. "What do you care if I live like a human?"

"It raises certain questions is all."

Her eyebrow rose. "Like?"

"Hmm…well…how to put this delicately…" Xellos paused to look down at her torso, stared slightly longer than necessary, and then re-established eye contact. "Do you have nipples?" he asked innocently.

"Wh-What?!" Filia stammered and hurriedly covered her chest with her hands.

"Well, you're a reptile, so I wouldn't think you'd need them…but you still have hair and eyebrows too," he explained simply as if it was for the sake of science.

"Don't call me a reptile! And we're not having this discussion!"

One of his eyes opened and honed in on her. "Is that piece of information really worth guarding?"

"Yes!" she answered. "I don't want you thinking about my breasts!"

"You know I might be tempted to think about them more often not knowing." Xellos tapped his chin thoughtfully with an inquisitive smile.

Filia huffed. She looked at him with fiery eyes, initially into his own steady gaze, but after a moment her eyes started to wander down. Suddenly the question wriggled itself into her head.

…Did Xellos have nipples?

It was an insane thought; one that she severely regretted having. His body was nothing but an illusion made to fool people. However, he still ate and drank, and overall kept up the appearance as well as such an inorganic thing could. Maybe he went that extra step there too? She blushed furiously and looked away.

"Come on, come on, don't be so stingy! If you tell me, you'll never have to hear me ask again," he promised.

Her nostrils flared and snapping her head back to face him she shouted, "You first!"

"Eh?"

'Oh no…I didn't…' she wished desperately that she hadn't said it, but it was already too late; the subject had to be changed immediately. "I-I'm not telling you anything until I get a straight answer out of you. In all the time I've known you, you've dodged every question no matter how inane it was!"

Xellos considered her proposal. "Is there something you want to know?" he asked, honestly curious at her sudden outburst.

'Do you have nipples?' repeated a few times in her head, but Filia resisted it. Even if she knew the answer, that question led down a dangerous road filled with thoughts that no girl who ever considered herself a priestess should have. Besides there was a more pressing issue bothering her. "Why did you come here?"

Xellos knew she'd ask eventually, but he hadn't prepared an answer yet—not one for her anyway. In his head he'd made up all manner of (perfectly satisfactory) excuses, but Filia was probably too prim to accept any of the things he'd gotten away with telling himself. Scratching his temple lightly, he debated several possible replies before finally saying, "Well…I have something I've been wondering about. Besides the question concerning your body—

"We're not talking about that!" she cut him off.

Ignoring her he continued, "I came here to find out why, out of all those in your temple, were you sent to prevent world destruction? I'd thought at first, it was because you were foolishly loyal, but you've proven yourself an enigma," he admitted.

"Humph! I'll have you know Karyuuou-sama selected me himself when he gave the prophecy," she answered proudly.

Xellos smugly tilted his head towards her. So that was it. "Is that right? Well, I guess that goes to show the faith your people had in him to go along with choosing _you_."

Filia crossed her arms and growled. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You really have to ask? There's an ancient dragon egg in the next room and a mazoku on your bed. If _I_ were them, I wouldn't exactly be thrilled to put my future in your hands."

A sigh escaped her lips. "They weren't very enthusiastic about it…" She contemplated the outcome. Even if she hadn't left the temple, her people likely would've abandoned her as she was now; the adoptive mother of an ancient dragon and the only living servant of the gods to ally themselves with a mazoku. More than simply renouncing her, had they survived they might've decided to exterminate her all together, she thought bitterly. "But…I think Karyuuou-sama knew what he was doing."

He could sense the tension permeating her conscience. "Are you sure you're really comfortable saying that? He made you suffer quite a lot for his plan."

"Like you're one to talk! If you weren't there I probably wouldn't've suffered at all!" she quipped.

Xellos was beaming. "But I had to be there; the prophecy said so!"

It was true, she conceded miserably. Karyuuou-sama called her to carry out his mission, part of which forced her to fuse magic with a mazoku. In his wisdom, he'd been able to put aside the war even he was made to fight against all creatures of darkness, in order to save the world.

"Any mazoku would've done, it didn't have to be you. You just happened to be there."

For Filia, it was a struggle to follow that order, but Xellos…well he seemed by all appearances to enjoy it. She'd never seen him as exhilarated as he was when he mixed with her. It was disgusting. He could've at least had the decency to look like he hated it as much as she did…as much as she intended to.

"Since when do you believe in coincidences Filia-san?" he asked, gentle voice at odds with his wicked smirk.

"I don't," she reluctantly admitted.

'Of course she doesn't; she's a dragon at the end of the day—no different from the rest.' he thought victoriously.

"I just assumed Karyuuou-sama was too pressed for time to find a decent mazoku for the job—if there even are any."

Perhaps she wasn't _just_ like the rest; Filia had gall. But that could be remedied easily enough. "Tsk! Those aren't the words of a good follower; accusing your god of not trying hard enough."

Fire stirred in her eyes. Xellos had nerve—too much. "It's not his fault that even the best sort of mazoku is still lower than garbage."

The muscles in his face started to twitch uncontrollably. "What a coincidence! Juuou-sama said the exact same thing to me about ryuuzoku when I told her I might have to fuse magic with one in order to carry out my mission!"

"If that's how you feel, then why did you look so happy every time it happened?!" she asked in a rage.

Of course; she _would_ notice that. "I always look happy," he reminded her. "You on the other hand, certainly appeared more pleased when it happened than you're letting on." Sniggering to himself he thought out loud, "Perhaps you enjoy garbage more than you'd like to admit?"

Xellos watched her face turn progressively deeper shades of red. 'That's some face to give someone you hate Filia-san,' he thought.

"You've got a lot to learn if that's what you think!" With her appetite completely gone and her food forgotten, she got up, fully prepared to storm out.

"Ah, Filia-san! Wait, don't go yet," Xellos called out, surprisingly sincere. He reached his hand out towards her.

"What is it?" She turned around hesitantly.

"You still never answered my question from earlier."

Pausing briefly, she backtracked in her mind until she remembered. Her hands curled into fists that rose into the air above him. Opening one eye, he prepared to defend himself, but she begrudgingly relented before striking. Filia exhaled like an angry bull and turned away saying, "Hurry up and heal yourself so you can get out of my house Namagomi!" Stomping out of the room, she slammed the door behind her.

Xellos smiled despite himself. 'I must've hit the nail on the head.' Leaning his head back against the pillows and covering his mouth, he sighed. She showed him defiance and mercy in equal measure, and he still didn't know what to make of it. There might be something he could learn from her yet.

Sourly, he wondered if hating her was going to be harder than he expected.

* * *

Here's my attempt at the Continuing Education prompt. This one gave me a lot of trouble, but it starts playing with themes that'll be important later on. Anyway thanks very much for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! As always, any constructive criticism, thoughts, comments, favorites, and follows are greatly appreciated. The Next one coming up is going to be a lot more action-packed, please look forward to it :)


	3. Perpending

It started innocently enough. Xellos' orders once again led him near Filia, so he decided to visit. She surprised him—she always managed to somehow. Between all the (rather dull) jobs he'd been receiving lately from Juuou-sama, Filia had proven herself good amusement. Although, her propensity to find trouble hadn't faded the least bit since moving to a human town and as funny as it was to watch her squirm in a difficult situation…it was also somewhat…what was the word? Unsettling.

So he'd started to keep a close watch on her in his free time. It wasn't that he wanted to protect her or anything as chivalrous as that, so much as it was him wanting to safeguard his investment.

At least that was what he'd been telling himself all summer. She was a feast for him all on her own; plentiful nourishment for almost no effort. At the most he'd have to stick out his tongue at her to be rewarded with enough energy for a week. It'd be stupid to let something happen to his favorite food source, wouldn't it? Common sense; simple as that.

And so he'd placed himself in the shadows of her home, the town, her garden, wherever she went; following just out of her sight. She didn't need to know. It might be a little embarrassing if she found out after all. Knowing her flair for drama, she'd probably label it something unsavory as "stalking".

Any other dragon would cower at discovering him—she would scream and make a fuss of course, but not how she _should_. Filia was a bizarre creature. With the way she behaved, Xellos could only assume she was probably more concerned with her pride than her life. In his thousand years, he thought he'd seen it all, but she was so different than anything he'd come to expect.

That was the sole reason he took interest in her day to day routine when she thought she was alone. Shedding her typical haughtiness, she adopted rather _curious_ mannerisms. The activities ranged from boring trifles such as dancing her way around rooms, to much more amusing things like quoting samurai to fire herself up.

He felt unwaveringly certain that she was wont to combine the two, but he hadn't seen proof yet. There was something to the sway of her hips that he wanted to see paired with the imaginary swordplay and dynamic one-liners.

Singing off-key to herself in her kitchen now, she unwittingly drew his attention. It was her happy, devious melody so he watched on inquisitively. So far he'd been rewarded with a marvelously ridiculous sight every time he'd heard that tune.

She halted her song as she came to the pantry, and tapped her index finger on the door anxiously before opening it. Taking a bag of chocolate chips out of her pantry, she checked for interlopers, and proceeded to eat a handful.

Consuming sugar was highly discouraged by her people; having been deemed as an unnecessary luxury that kept money and attention from being spent where either should be. Still, Filia had acquired a taste after leaving the temple and found it hard to abstain from.

Her nose scrunched up slightly at the bitterness, but her smile reached from ear to ear. She licked her lips to leave no evidence and she radiated guilty pleasure as she reached into the bag for more.

It was the first time he'd put himself in an intimate enough space to taste such a thing. Xellos dragged his tongue across his own lips, imitating her gesture. Typically any kind of mortal satisfaction was more draining than anything, but when seasoned with iniquity—well that ended up being a different story entirely.

He took to the flavor like a child drinking their first glass of wine. It started bitter; dried his mouth out before the tart sweetness intrigued him into taking another sip. Finding it more palatable with every taste, Xellos glutted himself on the new discovery.

For a moment he saw her coming slightly closer to his level. Even with such a small misdeed, he greedily ate at the possibility it offered. At the temple, he was sure she would've slapped away such a stupid temptation and said she was above it. Maybe back then she would've been.

Before falling into his company and renouncing her vows she'd made herself a loyal dog for those unworthy creatures. He fancied himself as part of the reason she ended up baring her teeth to her masters. But to her credit, Filia had never fit the life she'd been born into. She wasn't like the others of her race.

Xellos had expected upon their meeting that she would make herself his good little slave like the rest of her kind did to avoid being killed. From the moment she flung an insult at him; from the very first time she'd spoken against him with no regard for her own safety, he knew he'd stumbled upon a rich discovery.

Filia was like a dormant volcano in a range of ordinary mountains. She piqued his curiosity with her potential for chaos and the sickest part of him wanted to see her erupt. His wish had come true when he held her hostage and she'd spit on her elder's words.

This woman before him was still at her most interesting back in that moment. He'd wrapped her up in his arms and instigated her conflict, but all the while she had infected him with one insidious thought he couldn't shake. What was it like to stand against those above you?

For that matter, what was it like to revel in tiny pleasures after that stand? Was it that defiance that made her indiscretion so much more addicting? Did she make that face when anything satisfied her senses, or was it the guilt that made it sweeter? Filia brought along a lot of dangerous ways of thinking.

Lost in his thoughts as he was, he barely noticed she'd stopped her midnight-snacking to retreat back to her bed. Softly, he walked over to the pantry she just left. Xellos pulled out the chocolate she'd just put back in place. He hesitantly brought a single morsel to his lips. The smell was dark and bitter, but appealing all the same.

Food could be a luxury to a mazoku, but it would never satisfy his senses the way it could for mortals. There was something to explore in this. He wanted, just temporarily, for research purposes mind you, to experience that physical world the way Filia did. In his sick state of mind, he was struck by her face at that moment she tasted what the world had to offer her.

Every time he looked at her defying his expectations, he was barraged by the idea that she understood something he could never know if he didn't pursue her. Whether or not that knowledge was worth the time he spent watching her, he wasn't sure, but he couldn't deny his curiosity. It was eating him alive.

Quietly even by mazoku standards, he followed her upstairs. She entered her room still holding onto that smile. He waited, leaning against her closed door for nearly an hour until he was sure she'd fallen asleep. When he entered, he was struck by how many books she owned. Filia added quite a lot since his last visit. Multiple bookshelves lined the walls, each full to the brim.

He wondered what kind of subjects she read about and if any of those books contained a possible answer for the questions he had in mind. Or perhaps they were the reason she'd warned him against snooping around her bedroom before. Maybe his joke about her owning marital aid books wasn't so farfetched after all. It was surprisingly difficult deciding which option he'd prefer to be true.

After catching his erring thoughts, Xellos wandered over to her bedside. Filia was facing the wall opposite of him in peaceful slumber. Doubtless, if she caught him leaning over her sleeping form, her face would be priceless, and he wouldn't have to worry about going hungry for a long time. But there was something undeniably seductive about being here in secret.

The deep, steady cadence of her breathing pulled him closer. It was almost infuriating how predictable her respiration was, when she was the single most capricious creature he'd ever laid eyes on. It drove him to distraction. Xellos lifted a hand hesitantly above her face.

Just before making contact, he let his glove disappear. He'd never touched a living thing with his bare hands before, but he wanted to inspect her with every sense. Gently, he lifted a few strands of her hair between his fingers. It still was annoyingly gold, even in the dark.

The texture was smooth and it smelled like soap when he drifted close enough to her. His attention shifted away from her hair and towards the perfectly soft-angled neck that it rested against. Sliding his hands to feel her collar, it occurred to him just how fragile she was.

He could kill her right now. That was always true, but it seemed especially apparent to him with his fingers poised above her windpipe. Xellos tried to imagine what she would look like if he chose to strangle her.

The thought disturbed him more than he wanted to admit. It almost made him nauseous to think of what a waste it would be. Faltering slightly, his fingers pressed the flesh just barely firm enough to feel her pulse beat against him.

'Alive.' The word poured into his consciousness. What did it mean?

They were fundamentally different, that much was obvious, but just where did it start?

Unlike his relatively orderly entrance into existence, she'd experienced true chaos: birth. But of course, like every other living being, she couldn't appreciate the act enough to remember it. She could however still give birth; could feel her body die a little bit to give life somewhere else. That at least, she wouldn't be careless enough to forget.

It meant her existence was a random event—she wasn't made for any purpose or person. In that way she had a freedom he couldn't grab for himself. For a moment he felt a tinge of envy strike through him thinking of the chaos and freedom that was promised to her from the beginning.

'Although,' he reminded himself, 'it's something for which she'll pay the price with mortality.' Filia was going to die whether he killed her or wished with all the desperation a monster could feel for anything that she would be safe and alive. His breath caught sharply in his throat at the realization.

Fearing the continued drumming of her heartbeat, he withdrew his hand from her vein.

There was an alternative though. She didn't _have_ to die—not if she became a mazoku.

Juuou-sama had forbidden him from imparting his power to make retainers of his own, but the idea that Filia might taste sweeter if he took her in an act of disobedience was tempting enough to make Xellos consider it despite all his loyalty to his master.

It might be worth the trouble if there never came a day Filia would go where he couldn't follow. Besides, unlike the servants of the gods, he trusted his superiors would understand her potential. Having her could change everything—he was unshakably certain of it.

There was however, a good chance that she might not forgive him if he changed her—possibly ever. She'd no longer be that amazing paradox who should hate him, but didn't. Instead despite forced obedience to him, it could be with utter antipathy in her heart.

The fire might blaze out of her beautiful blue eyes, the blood would fade away from her cheeks, and she would never be the same imperfect mess of a mortal to ever intrigue him.

She wouldn't be free… or challenging…maddening, or anything worth caring about. If he did that to her, she wouldn't be Filia any longer…and that could be worse than death.

There was a word she would've used to name the feeling overtaking him.

He reached down to touch her face softly. She was alive, and against everything that made sense to him, he was glad of it. His thumb grazed the bone of her cheek down to her lips.

Without waking, she murmured two syllables that stirred him into dizzying exhilaration. "Xellos…" He felt a surge of guilty pleasure, but if it were coming from him or her, it was impossible to tell.

His body shuddered and he leaned closer. Excitement made him forget himself and his hand's feather-light touch grew firm to pull her face nearer so he could try to distinguish if she were the source.

She woke with a start to see Xellos' animalistic irises only inches from hers and felt his hand on her chin. Filia screamed and hit him as hard as she could in her half-asleep state.

Which, she was proud to say, was still really, really hard.

* * *

Here's my work for the Dwelling on it prompt. Hopefully you enjoyed reading! Any and all thoughts, reviews, favorites, and follows are greatly appreciated!

By the way I ended up finishing this one before the one I mentioned at the end of the last piece, and the one is coming up eventually, but since it's so different from what I usually write it's taking me a long time. Also I'm tinkering with a full multi-chapter Xellos/Filia story aside from these oneshots. I just started school again so I don't know how much time I'll have to dedicate to it, but it's definitely coming along. Please look forward to it :)


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